We asked HMPO how it was ensuring that suppliers had sufficient capacity to meet the expected demand for passports in future. HMPO told us that it was taking actions to reduce supplier issues in 2023, which was different for different suppliers. It explained that it had given suppliers estimates of likely demand that “err on the side of caution” and that it was asking suppliers to plan for higher demand than it expected to receive overall. It also told us that it was working with suppliers to ensure they had plans in place and that these were tested, so that suppliers have enough staff to manage the demand in 2023. HMPO told us that it was also bringing in a second provider for the customer telephone helpline to support Teleperformance. It expected this provider to be in place by the end of February 2023 and that it will manage 25% of customer calls.36 The digital transformation programme